Green Grocer Chicago's 2nd Anniversary Party

Yesterday was a special occasion for the OrganicNation staff. Our neighborhood grocery store, Green Grocer Chicago, celebrated its second anniversary yesterday, and we were on hand for a couple hours in the afternoon, selling raffle tickets and munching on the free samples.

Green Grocer gets mentioned a lot on this blog for a couple of reasons. Owners Gary Stephens and Cassie Green (pictured below with Dorothee) do an excellent job of sourcing the majority of the food in the shop from local and organic producers, and for a small storefront, they have an excellent selection. They're one of the only places where you can dependably find high-quality local and organic produce year-round in Chicago. Most importantly though, they're located just a block from where I live, meaning that I don't have to get in the car, and I never buy more than I can carry.

To me, the existence of small, independent grocery stores like Green Grocer is crucial to the sustainable food movement. Farmers markets are great, and I shop at them whenever it's convenient, but a great independent grocery is sort of like a daily, year-round farmers market, and it's another place to meet people who are passionate about good food.

-Mark